The new Citywide Complan will be a document that will be referred to when approving the Urban Renewal Plans. One element of this document that pleased some on the Planning Board is the fact that it was written so vague that nothing could be turned down. It was a 4/3 vote to approve the document.

This meeting was a meeting for council to hear about urban renewal from the professionals and Littleton Invests for Tomorrow (LIFT), which is the reinvention of the Riverfront Authority. Continue reading →

Staff provided a memo to the council on the issues facing Littleton with the passage of recreational marijuana. Currently city code prohibits optional premises cultivation operations and marijuana-infused products manufacturing. Littleton has been requested to allow premises cultivation licenses in the city limits by one of the medical marijuana license holders. The four current medical marijuana center license holders would be the only entities that would be eligible for a premises cultivation license. Under the state statue the cultivation premise could be contiguous or not contiguous with the medical marijuana center. If the city council was to allow the cultivation they could place additional restrictions on the license.

Staff recommended that no changes be made to the medical marijuana licenses. Council concurred.

On January 1, 2014 retail marijuana became legal. Littleton does not allow the sale of retail marijuana and placed a moratorium until October 1, 2014. Council will need to take action before October.

Staff recommended the council leave the moratorium in place for time to study impacts in those jurisdictions that allow retail marijuana. Council concurred.

Staff was also asked to provide information on state limitations for the use of marijuana in public/private spaces and whether the city should consider supplementing those limitations.

Staff recommended using the enforcement tools and would like time to evaluate the enforcement tools’ effectiveness before taking local action. Again, council concurred.

Council accepted staff’s recommendations on all three issues.

Council Protocols

This document is being reviewed and updated to suit this council. I will just address the topics that are more than just wordsmithing. Bruce Beckman said that he wanted the Pros and Cons of issues to be included in the staff communication. (Currently, the council receives a council communication on each agenda item and makes their recommendation how the council should vote – a prewritten motion is provided for them to read. This communication is one sided and Beckman is asking for both sides to be presented.) Peggy Cole agreed asking for viable options. Brinkman thought the current balance is good.

Cole suggested changing the word support to accept in the following sentence. “However, after the decision has been made, the member should support the decision and move forward,” referring to a member who is on the losing side of a vote. She thought “accept” was a better word choice. Stein did not want the change – if we vote as a council it is a slippery slope for a council member to voice dissention. Cole said that is not what she was saying – support implies going out and speaking in promotion of the matter. Jerry Valdes was “ok” with Cole’s change. Stein said even in a dissenting role we should support the decision. Valdes disagreed – I can “accept” but I don’t have to “support.” Brinkman spoke to the issue and used the word honor in her objection to Cole’s proposed change. Cole said that Honor would be an acceptable change to support. Support sounds like advocating.

Beckman mentioned the silence on which boards and commissions are to be televised on Channel 8. A policy should be established. Cole asked that the discussion take place in a regular meeting.

Michael Penny said all quasi-judicial boards will be videoed. He asked about working groups. Valdes said there are meetings that will warrant televising – issues that have broad interest. We should not use the excuse that we didn’t ask the members if it was alright with them if their meetings are televised. Penny said just because someone wants it televised doesn’t mean that you have to do so. Cole thought the time of the meeting might be a criterion for televising or not. When meetings are held during the day when most people are at work might be a trigger. Penny would work on language for guidelines to bring back to council. Stein cautioned that the more constraints placed on members of committees will eliminate their best and brightest candidates.

Beckman was also concerned about the appropriate level of separation of the city attorney and the city manager. (We currently contract with a law firm for our city attorney who works for the city council. The deputy city attorney is in-house and reports to the city manager.) Sometimes we need to go to the head of the class and we need to understand the situation. There needs to be a separation in an instance where there is an employee action against the city and the employee should not have to go to the deputy city attorney who works for the city manager. There needs to be a separation. Valdes agreed that sometimes they need to talk to the city attorney and not the deputy city attorney. Penny said they need to keep the cost down and has asked the council and the staff to work through the deputy city attorney and it has worked well. There is a disconnect when the city attorney is contacted first.

Beckman was also concerned about the follow-up with citizens who come before the council. We say that staff will get back with them and I would like to know that it has been done. Stein asked if council really needs to know if staff responded. Penny said it is council’s decision – it is more important whether council desires a response. Some comments are implied and some are specific.

Legislative Rules

The council will add language to adjourn the meetings at 10pm.

Valdes did not like the way the oath of office was administered this year. He would prefer that it be done on an individual basis.

Beckman would like to see all agendas submitted by noon on Friday. Penny said that is their intent but sometimes not practical as they are waiting on an applicant.

Valdes wanted Council Reports to be moved from the end of the meeting to after the public comment. Penny asked what the purpose of the reports was. Is it to share information with other members of the council? It is not a way to get information to citizens, as there are lots of ways to do that. Valdes said there are times that council members would like to say something to the public in general. Brinkman disagreed with Valdes saying that she has seen the reports go from one extreme to another. It is a business meeting – an opportunity to pass info to each other that is city related.

Valdes thought it was important that we tell the public – we operate on their dime. We can do a better job of being brief. Cole asked if it would be possible to post reports on the web site. Stein thought they should decide on the purpose of the reports before deciding where they would fall on the agenda. If it is for us we should do it at the end of the meeting. The best way to reach the citizens is the website. Penny said it is a report to the “body.”

Beckman said that they are individually elected and they needed to have a free ranging voice. Penny said they had talked about reinstituting the district meetings and the reports part of the meeting was not a way to relate to the citizens. Valdes said there were a lot of people that watched Channel 8.

Council Goals

Brinkman asked why Council Goals were back in front of them. Valdes said he thought it needed more discussion. Cole asked if there were too many goals and objectives. Penny said the staff uses the document. It is used when we talk to a business that is considering coming to Littleton – it is real – they can read them. The action items are items that the council wants to get behind politically. An example is supporting the passage of the Federal Interstate Commerce Fairness Act. This might entail meeting with Senator Udall and let him know that we support the approval of the Act. (This Act would tax all Internet sales. This is one of the Action Items on the council Goals and Objectives.) Another example is to pursue the redevelopment of Riverfront. No one thinks a call center is good use of the property but it will take political will, urban renewal and meeting with the current owner Penny said.

Stein said they need to decide what this document means to them. To him it is the council goals and not what they already do. He preferred to shorten not lengthen the document and very pleased with the way it is now.

Brinkman said less is more and wanted more power language. She was not a huge fan of the action items.

Beckman suggested removing the action items and place them in a separate document.

Cole said this review is done every two years – are we going to get an evaluation of what we have accomplished? Penny said that comes with the budget discussion.